Any Interest in Staying on as a Cashier?

A chill, fragrant breeze laced with the faint smell of blood spread through the cramped Internet Cafe.

The girl at the door had a beautiful, icy face, like dark ice that had not melted in ten thousand years.

She wore a tight black leather suit that traced curves even grown women would envy.

But several cuts now marred the suit. Blood ran down her fingertips and struck the Internet Cafe floor, drop by drop.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Ning Rongrong, who had just been hopping mad about not being able to keep playing, froze.

As a disciple of a great sect, she could tell at a glance that the girl in black was on her last legs.

Behind the counter, Lin Ye glanced at the system prompt above the girl's head:

[Target identity: Zhu Zhuqing (Star Luo Empire noble).]

[Appearance score: 96.]

Another gorgeous Internet Cafe attendant delivered to my door? Lin Ye raised an eyebrow, though he kept his tone strictly businesslike. "Sorry, miss. This is an Internet Cafe, not an inn, and certainly not a clinic..."

Crash!

Before Lin Ye could finish, someone kicked the poor glass sliding door from outside and shattered it!

Shards flew everywhere!

"Run, you little brat! Why aren't you running now?!"

Three ghostlike figures darted inside, cutting off every escape route.

Their leader was a lean man with a scar across his face. He grinned viciously at Zhu Zhuqing, who had dropped to one knee.

"Damn it..." Zhu Zhuqing bit her bloodless lip, despair flashing in her eyes.

She drew on the last of her strength and tried to summon her Martial Soul, the Hell Spirit Cat.

"Stay there and die!"

The scarred man roared, and a powerful surge of Soul Power erupted from him!

"Awooo!"

An illusory Netherworld Berserk Wolf appeared behind him. Then four Soul Rings—two yellow and two purple, the optimal combination—rose from beneath his feet!

A Soul Ancestor!

And all three of them were Four-Ring Soul Ancestors!

Terrifying Soul Power pressure raged through the cramped Internet Cafe, rattling the price list on the counter.

It's over... Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes in despair.

She knew these elite assassins sent by her family would leave no witnesses. The owner of this strange shop and the girl in green would probably die with her.

"Hey! Are you three blind?!"

Just then, a clear voice rang out, tinged with disgust.

Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips. Far from frightened, she looked at the three murderous Soul Ancestors as if they were country bumpkins.

If this had happened yesterday, the sight of three Soul Ancestors would have sent the combat-incapable support-type little devil screaming for Sword Grandpa.

But now?

She had just sliced a dozen heavily armed Cyberpsychos into sashimi with her Mantis Blades in Night City. As "V the Mighty," she felt nothing at the sight of three locals who did not even have a Kinetic Pistol. If anything, she wanted to laugh.

"You bumpkins, do you know where you are? You dare cause trouble in this shop?" Ning Rongrong snorted.

"Where did this little brat come from? She wants to die! Kill her too!" Enraged by Ning Rongrong's contempt, the scarred man made his fourth, purple Soul Ring flare.

"Berserk Wolf Netherworld Strike!"

He became a black blur. His sharp wolf claws screamed through the air as he lunged straight at Ning Rongrong's and Zhu Zhuqing's faces!

Zhu Zhuqing turned her head in anguish, unable to bear the sight of the innocent girl being torn apart.

"Ugh."

A helpless sigh came from behind the counter.

"That was top-grade shatterproof glass. It was expensive..."

[Malicious attack detected inside the Internet Cafe!]

[System Absolute Defense Field activated!]

[Penalty mechanism: Soul Power sealed, dimensional suppression!]

"Vmmm!"

At the instant the scarred man's claws came within ten centimeters of Ning Rongrong's nose, an invisible, colorless wave carrying the force of an absolute, higher law swept through the entire Internet Cafe!

Time stood still.

The vicious Netherworld Berserk Wolf Martial Soul behind the scarred man flickered out like an old television losing power!

The four Soul Rings spinning beneath his feet shattered like fragile bubbles, scattering into specks of light!

Thud!

With no Soul Power to support him, the scarred man lost his balance in midair and landed face-first. He slid all the way to Lin Ye's counter.

The other two Soul Ancestors, poised to attack by the door, dropped to their knees as if their legs had been filled with lead.

"Wh-what's going on?!"

"Where's my Soul Power?! My Martial Soul?! What did you do to us?!"

The three assassins clutched at their throats, gasping like fish out of water, their faces contorted with terror.

To their horror, the Soul Power they had spent decades cultivating had become a stagnant pool. No matter how hard they tried to stir it, they could not raise the slightest ripple!

Soul Ancestors? They were three utterly helpless ordinary men now!

"No shouting in my shop. And absolutely no violence."

Lin Ye looked down at the scarred man sprawled at his feet, then pointed at the broken glass by the door. "Most importantly, you broke my door."

Zhu Zhuqing, who had shut her eyes and waited for death, struggled to open them wide. Disbelief filled her beautiful eyes.

That young owner, who did not seem to possess any Soul Power, had turned three Four-Ring Soul Ancestors into ordinary people without lifting a finger?!

Stripping away Soul Power and sealing Martial Souls!

Not even a legendary Titled Douluo could wield such godlike power!

Who... who is he? Could he be some peerless Douluo who's been living in seclusion?

Zhu Zhuqing's heart pounded wildly. Though blood loss had left her body cold, hope flared within her.

"What... what kind of monster are you?! The Star Luo Empire won't let you get away with this!" the scarred man shouted, trying to sound fierce despite the fear in his voice.

"Enough noise."

Lin Ye could not be bothered arguing. He kicked the scarred man out of the Internet Cafe like a ball.

Two more kicks sent the other stunned assassins flying after him.

"Go tell whoever sent you: if they want revenge, they can pay the fee and follow the rules. Anyone who tries to wreck my shop without paying will spend the rest of their life as an ordinary person." Lin Ye dusted off his hands.

Outside, the three former Soul Ancestors scrambled away. As if they had seen death itself, they fled into the night.

The danger had passed.

Peace returned to the Internet Cafe.

Ning Rongrong folded her arms smugly and looked at the still-shaken Zhu Zhuqing, as though showing off an invincible adult from her own family. "See? I told you those bumpkins had a death wish. How could mere mortals understand how powerful Boss Lin is?"

She had completely forgotten how the game had frightened her to tears.

Lin Ye turned around and pulled an Employee Employment Contract and a first-aid kit from beneath the counter. He placed them in front of Zhu Zhuqing.

"Now, let's discuss compensation for the mess you made on my floor and for the life I just saved."

Lin Ye looked at the badly injured black cat and gave her an enticing smile. "You seem to have remarkable potential... Interested in staying on as a cashier?"

"And, while you're at it, experiencing another world..."